Diaper



July 19, 1949. E L GHES 2,476,869

DIAPER Filed March 1, 1949 Fig-5.3

Fie.8

INVENTOR. Eihel. 'L.Hughes Aiicfncg.

Patented July 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to body garments and more particularly to infantsdiapers. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copendingapplication Serial No. 720,616, now abandoned.

The conventional diaper consists of a square or rectangular strip ofcloth which is folded one or more times, before fastening onto aninfant, to provide several thicknesses of material throughout. Such adiaper is somewhat diflicult to apply, both because of the necessity offolding it to proper size and shape and because of its undue bulk, whenfolded, about the waist portion. Additionally, such a diaper, whenapplied, not only does not utilize the available material to affordmaximum protection where needed, but also does not fit snugly norcomfortably. The inherent disadvantages of the conventional diaper haveled to :the development of various types of diapers which not onlyrequire no folding for application, but also fit more snugly and morecomfortably. In general, these improved. diapers are formed with one ormore layers of fabric permanently secured together and shaped to conformto the contour of an infants body. Fun-thermore, the central portion ofsuch diapers usually is provided with a concealed absorbent pad oradditional thicknesses of absorbent material, in order to giveadditional protection where needed, namely, the crotch region.

These improved diapers, however, have not been entirely successful forseveral reasons. First of all, such diapers contain exposed edge seamswhere the several thicknesses of cloth are stitched together. Theseexposed seams unduly chafe the tender skin of an infant, particularlywhen wet. Secondly, such diapers present a laundering problem since theinner surfaces of the several layers of fabric, and particularly theabsorbent pad or additional thicknesses of material in the crotchregion, are difficult both to clean and to dry. In some instances, inorder to facilitate laundering, the absorbent pad is exposed anddetachable, which is a nuisance. In other in-' stances, the pad isdisposable, i. e. intended for one time use, which is expensive,particularly for larger families.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide aninexpensive, unitary, form-fitting diaper which requires no folding foruse; which provides a maximum of protection where needed, with a minimumof bulk in other areas; which may be laundered easily and effectively;and which contains no exposed seams to chafe an in fant.

It is another object of this invention to provide a. simple process formaking a diaper which embodies this invention with a minimum of materialwastage.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from thefollowing description an accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a diaper embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the diaper illustrated in Figure 1 showingthe diaper turned inside out for laundering; I

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a strip of diaperfabric used in the manufacture of a diaper embodying this invention;

Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating several steps in the process ofmanufacturing a diaper embodying this invention;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken l-'| of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the diaper illustrated in Figure 1showing its shape when worn by an infant.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a diaper l 0, generallyrectangular in shape and having opposed recesses H in the opposite sideedges thereof. The recesses H preferably are arcuate, as shown, butsince the purpose of such recesses is to render the garment formfittingin use, as best shown in Figure 8, the'exa-ct shape of the recesses maybe varied so long as the central portion l2 of the diaper is somewhatnarrower in width than the end "portions l3.

The diaper comprises two plies I4 of soft absorbent sheet material,preferably a woven fabric such as smooth-surfaced cotton towelingalthough any suitable fabric may be used. The edges of the plies M atone end of the diaper preferably are formed with selva'ges [5 to preventunravelling. At the other end l6 of the diaper, the plies M are integralso that the plies may be formed by folding a single thickness of diapercloth, as later described.

Disposed between the plies I4 is an absorbent on line pad ll,substantially coextensive with the central portion I2 of the diaper. Thepad I! preferably comprises a plurality of layers ,of soft absorbentmesh-like fabric, such as gauze or cheesecloth. The absorbent qualitiesof such material provide added protection where needed, while itsmesh-like nature permits of easy cleaning and rapid drying in alaundering process. The side throughout the length of the recesses Ii.It will be understood, however, that the pad may be of the same lengthas the plies.

The marginal portions of the side edges of the plies I4 and the pad I"!are inturned, as shown in Figure 2, and secured together e. g. by a rowof running stitches I8, such as chain, overcast, or blanket stitches, orby equivalent securing means (not shown), such as a suitable waterproofadhesive. It is to be noted that the rough seam so formed is concealedbetween and completely covered by the plies I4. Hence, the diapercontains no exposed seams to chafe the tender skin of an infant whenworn. The selvage edges I5 of the plies are not joined together. Thediaper, above described, is of subtantially sack-like formation havingan open mouth pro vided at one end, i. e. that end at which the pliesare provided with selvages I5. Hence, the diaper is adapted to bereadily turned inside out (as shown in Figure 3) for laundering, thusexposing the pad I! on one or the other plies I4 exteriorly of thediaper in order to facilitate the washing and drying thereof. It is tobe noted that in this laundering position of the diaper, bothcleaningand drying fluids may passfreely between the pad I! and itsunderlying ply I4.

The plies I4 may also be formed with selvages at both end edges and bejoined together only at their side edges, to thus form a diaper havingtwo open ends, not shown. Such a diaper may be turned inside out fromeither end and possibly affords slightly more rapid drying, afterwashing, than a diaper having but one open end. The latter, i. e. thefirst described, type of diaper is preferred, however, for manufacturingreasons, as later described. I Referring now to Figures 5, 6 and 7,which illustrate various stages of the manufacturing process, the diapermay be made from a strip IQ of diaper cloth of a standard width. Suchcloth usually andpreferably has selvages I5 on both its The strip I9 isfolded over longitudinal edges. along its longitudinal centerline c-,-cto provide two thicknesses of the cloth, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Astrip 20 of absorbent pad material, of somewhat less width than thefolded strip I9 of diaper cloth, is laid centrally along the foldedcloth. The pad material preferably comprises a plurality of thicknesses(four as shown in the drawings) of gauze, the advantages of which havebeen mentioned heretofore. The pad material may be formed, for example,by twice folding astrip of gauze of the same width as the strip I9 ofdiaper cloth. Such gauze strip also usually and preferably has selvages2| on both its longitudinal edges. An elongated transversely-disposedsymmetrical opening or cutout 22, of a length approximating the width ofthe strip 20 of pad material, then is formed in the superimposed stripsI9 and 20. Although other shapes are satisfactory, the cutout 22preferably is elliptical and disposed midway between the longitudinaledges of the folded strip I9. The

' strips l9 and 20 are then severed along transverse lines 23 which arealigned with the major axis of the elliptical cum :2. The cutout formingand fabric severing operations are repeated at suitable uniformintervals (as indicated by the dotted lines at the left of Figure 6)along the length of the strips to form a plurality of diaper blanks 24,one of which is shown at the right of Figure 6. It will be understoodthat the cutout forming and fabric severing operations also may beperformed simultaneously at a plurality of positions along the strips I9and 20. The blanks 24 then are secured together along their side edgesto join the two thicknesses of diaper cloth and the pad material, asshown in Figure 3. The resulting sack-like structure is turned insideout to dispose the pad material and the seams between the twothicknesses of diaper cloth to form a completed diaper, as shown in Fiure l.

The application of the improved diaper to an infant needs littleexplanation. The recesses II in the opposite side edges of the diaperlessen the bulk of the garment when the central portion I2 thereof isdisposed between the legs of an infant. The resulting narrower crotchportion of the diaper, although not bulky, affords suflicient absorptionin the area where needed because of the pad II. The wider end portionsI3 of the diaper are adapted to be disposed about the waist of thewearer with their side edges overlapped and conventionally pinned orotherwise secured together, as illustrated in Figure 8.

It is obvious that various changes in the specific embodiment of theinvention which has been described and illustrated will be evident toone skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention embraces allmodifications which come within the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A diaper comprising: at least two generallyrectangular, substantiallycoextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheet material securedtogether along two opposite edges, said plies being line of securementalong their edges and along at least one edge portion; and a flat pad ofabsorbent material substantially coextensive with the central portion ofsaid plies and secured therebetween, said diaper being adapted to beturned inside out through said one unsecured edge portion to expose saidpad in order to facilitate laundering.

2. A diaper comprising at least two generallyrectangular, substantiallycoextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheet material securedtogether along two opposite edges; and a flat pad of absorbent materialcoextensive with at least the central portion of said plies and disposedtherebetween, two opposite edges of said pad being substantially inregister with and secured to said opposite edges of said plies, saidplies being free of attachment to each other and to said pad inwardly ofthe line of securement along their edges and along at least one edgeportion so that said diaper may be turned inside out through said oneunsecured edge portion to expose said pad in order to facilitatelaundering.

v 3. A diaper comprising: at least two generallyrectangular,substantially coextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheetmaterial secured together along three edges to form an open-endedsack-like structure, said plies being free of attachment to each otherinwardly of the line of securement along their edges; and a flat pad ofabsorbent material substantially coextensive with the central portion ofsaid piles and secured therebetween, said diaper being adapted to beturned inside out through its open end to expose said pad in order tofacilitate laundering.

4. A diaper comprising: at least two generallyrectangular, substantiallycoextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheet material securedtogether along two opposite edges and integral along a third edge toform an open-ended sacklike structure; and a flat pad of absorbentmaterial coextensive with at least the central portion of said plies anddisposed therebetween, two opposite edges of said pad beingsubstantially in' register with and secured to said opposite edges ofsaid plies, said plies being free of attachment to each other and tosaid pad inwardly of the line of securement along said opposite edgesand inwardly of said third edge so that said diaper may be turned insideout through its open end to expose said pad in order to facilitatelaundering.

5. A diaper comprising: at least two generallyrectangular, substantiallycoextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheet material, themarginal portions of two opposite edges of said plies being inturned;securing means disposed between said plies and joining said inturnedportions to form a concealed seam; and a flat pad of absorbent materialsubstantially coextensive with at least the central portion of saidplies and disposed therebetween, the marginal portions of two oppositeedges of said pad being inturned substantially 30 2,273,905

in register with said marginal portions of the opposite edges of one ofsaid plies and secured thereto by said securing means, said plies beingfree of attachment to each other and to said pad inwardly oi the line ofsecurement along their edges and along at least one edge portion so thatsaid diaper may be turned inside out through said one unsecured edgeportion to expose said pad in order to facilitate laundering.

6. An article of manufacture for use as a diaper comprising: at leasttwo generally-rectangular,

substantially coextensive, continuous plies of soft absorbent sheetmaterial secured together along two opposite edges, said plies beingfree of attachment to each other inwardly of the line of securementalong their edges and along at least one edge portion; and a flat pad ofabsorbent material substantially coextensive with the central portion ofsaid plies and secured in exterior overlying relation with one of saidplies, said article, for use as a diaper, being adapted to be turnedinside out through said one unsecured edge portion to dispose said padbetween said plies.

ETHEL LEE HUGHES.

REFERENCES CITED The following reference are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,025,843 Anderson Dec. 31, 19352,122,417 Fridolph July 5, 1938 Spanel Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 493,819 Great Britain Oct. 14,1938

